Security questions raised as rules tighten

Terror scare leads to new travel rulesPassengers’ movements and carry-ons face more restrictions on some flights

MICHELINE MAYNARD and LIZ ROBBINS, NEW YORK TIMES

Published 6:30 am, Sunday, December 27, 2009

Photo: Bill Pugliano, Getty Images

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Passengers have a long wait for a security check at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Saturday, a day after a man allegedly tried to blow up a plane as it approached the city.

Passengers have a long wait for a security check at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Saturday, a day after a man allegedly tried to blow up a plane as it approached the city.

Photo: Bill Pugliano, Getty Images

Security questions raised as rules tighten

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In the wake of Friday's terrorism attempt on a Northwest Airlines flight, federal officials on Saturday imposed a new layer of restrictions on travelers that could lengthen lines at airports and limit the ability of international passengers to move about an airplane.

Among other steps being imposed, passengers on international flights coming to the United States will apparently have to remain in their seats for the last hour of a flight without any personal items on their laps. Overseas passengers will be restricted to only one carry-on item aboard the plane, and domestic passengers will probably face longer security lines.

The restrictions will again change the routine of air travel, which has undergone an upheaval since the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington in September 2001 and three attempts at air terrorism since then.

The suspect's name was inserted last month into the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or Tide. About 550,000 individuals are registered in the database. A subset of that is the Terrorist Screening Data Base, or T.S.D.B., which has about 400,000.

By contrast, fewer than 4,000 names from the T.S.D.B. are on the "no-fly" list, and an additional 14,000 on a "selectee" list that calls for mandatory secondary screening, an Obama administration official said. At the time Mr. Abdulmutallab's name was recorded in the Tide database in November, the official said, "there was insufficient derogatory information available" to warrant putting him in the T.S.D.B., no-fly or selectee lists, and so he was not on any watch list when he boarded the plane bound for Detroit.

Abdulmutallab was issued a regular visitor's visa by the United States Embassy in London in June 2008, according to a senior administration official. There was no "derogatory information available" on him at the time he applied, and he was granted a two-year visa, which is still valid, the official said. He had traveled to the United States once before, to Houston in August 2008.

Abdulmutallab smiled briefly but said little in the arraignment. One of his burns was visible. His left hand was cuffed to a wheelchair, and he had bandages on his left thumb and right hand.

According to two pool reporters, he was asked how he was feeling. “I'm doing better,” he responded, adding that he felt “better than yesterday.”

Judge Paul Borman of U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan said Abdulmutallab faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. When asked if he understood the charges, Abdulmutallab replied, “Yes, I do.” A retention hearing is set for Jan. 8, but the Justice Department requested a hearing to collect DNA from him on Monday.

Soon after Friday's incident, travelers at airports around the world began experiencing heightened security screenings. On one flight from Newark Airport, cabin lights stayed on for the entire trip instead of being dimmed for takeoff and landing.

The new passenger rules, which brought to mind some of the most stringent policies instituted after the 2001 attacks, come at a difficult time for the airline industry.

Travel has declined about 20 percent since 2008 because of the economy, and airlines have been dealing with numerous delays the past week because of snowstorms on the East Coast and in the Midwest.

‘As always, be observant'

Airline executives said the new steps would complicate travel as vacationers return from Christmas trips, and could cause travelers to cancel plans for flights in 2010.

But the Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano, said Saturday that air passengers should proceed with their holiday plans and “as always, be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior or activity to law enforcement officials.”

Two foreign airlines, Air Canada and British Airways, disclosed the steps in notices on their Web sites.

The airlines said the rules had been implemented by government security agencies, including the TSA.

“Among other things,” Air Canada said on its Web site, “during the final hour of flight customers must remain seated, will not be allowed to access carry-on baggage, or have personal belongings or other items on their laps.”

Added security screening

Abdulmutallab is accused of trying to ignite his incendiary device as the plane was descending into Detroit.

On its Web site, American Airlines said the TSA had ordered new measures for flights departing from foreign locations to the U.S., including mandatory screening of all passengers at airport gates during the boarding process. All carry-on items would be screened at security checkpoints and again at boarding, the airline said.

In effect, the rules mean that passengers on flights of 90 minutes or less most likely won't be able to leave their seats at all, since they are not allowed to walk around the cabin while a plane is climbing to its cruising altitude.

The restrictions began to be instituted Saturday on flights from Canada and Europe to the United States. Air Canada said it was waiving fees for the first checked bag, and told passengers to be prepared for delays, cancellations and missed connections.